Mordoc Rules: http://dilbert.com/strips/?CharIDs=15&After=01/01/1996&Before=12/31/2009&Order=s.DateStrip+DESC&PerPage=50&x=23&y=9&CharFilter=Any

Really several of those have happened here, and a couple of more from Dilbert[TM] that don't show up in that link. I thought Dilbert[TM] was meant to be a cartoon, not a documentary?

IT controls the virus checkers on all the machines, but they never keep them up to date for Windows, nor alow us to update them. "Linux is just a Toy" is a direct quote from IT. The other day a colleague told IT that someone had to move down from Mac to Windows, and ITs reply was "at least they didn't take even more steps backwards to Linux", but I digress.

After IT discovered the Virus, they declared, without any evidence, all Open Source Browsers, like Firefox and Opera, and Email programs must be ameliorated from all company computers, or you would be terminated. They then decreed that in the name of security only IE6 and Outlook would be acceptable for Internet access for any reason (so much for using any other ports, those do not exist per IT). Makes lots of sense to force the usage of the two most attacked programs in the history of Mankind in the name of security. I've about given up on Internet at work and do most of what I need at home now.

IT always says "we must protect The Server". If The (Windows) Server is so vulnerable that it needs so much protection, why do they keep using it? I've asked to be removed from The Serve as I don't use it to do my job other than for backups, and IT says my source code backups are to large and want them removed (WTF?).

I develop Embedded Systems. Right now I'm trying to write a USB driver for a AVR, that has to work with Windows, but IT says I don't need Admin Rights. Boss says "do what IT says". Guess I'll just tell the customers "sorry I could not test this, talk to the boss or IT if it does not work", as I'll have no idea if it works. Its a small company, telling me to talk to someone higher up won't help. Resume anyone?

Dad signed the contract not Mom. They asked for nothing.

My Father died in October. He had a shared Verizon account with my Mother. They charged Mom $100 to terminate his account, even after I explained that he was dead. I wanted to terminate Mom's account as well, as she only talked to Dad on her cell phone. They refused to do it without having to pay more than $100 beyond the first $100! They told me Mom had to keep the account until it expired in July. While she racks up charges for a service she will not use; Her income is now very limited, she should be using the money to buy food and keep the house heated. A bit off topic to this tread but all of the paperwork and people you have to contact when someone dies is an absolute nightmare. People have been dieing for a really long time now, you would think it would be an easy one click process. Who is up for stating such a service? Oh right, Amazon already has that patented...

The Mind Has No Firewall by Timothy L. Thomas at the Army War Collage.

If you want to take this subject seriously, and I really recommend that you do, then you need a copy of this book:

Controlling the Human Mind : The Technologies of Political Control or Tools for Peak Performance by Dr. Nick Begich; ISBN 1-890693-54-5.

It is a well researched book on what is going on in the field, based on publicly available documents.

For full disclosure Dr. Begich sent me a free review copy of the book when it was released. I have supplied Dr. B. with background material over the years.

Links to the following papers here:

• Mind Control: The Ultimate Brave New World by Dr. Nick Begich
• US Electromagnetic Weapons and Human Rights - by Peter Phillips, Lew Brown and Bridget Thornton
• Advanced Neural Implants and Control - DARPA.
• Soviet and Czechoslovakian Parapsychology Research - Defense Intelligence Agency
• Paraphysics R & D Warsaw Pact - Defense Intelligence Agency
• Controlled Offensive Behavior - USSR Defense Intelligence Agency
• Science & Technology for New DoD Capabilities
• Interactive Neuronal and Nanoelectronic/photonic Circuits
• Darpatech 2002 Symposium - Transforming Fantasy
• Synthetic Telepathy and the Early Mind Wars by Richard Alan Miller
• USSR Hypnosis at a Distance Defense Intelligence Agency
• DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY ~ OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY SECNAVINST 3900.39D HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION PROGRAM

I'll add The Battle for Your Mind to the list.

Even the coolest UAV/UAS run by GNU/Linux probably are not legal for you to fly most places, at least in the US. See:

"Subcommittee on Aviation Hearing on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and the National Airspace System"

from March 29 2006, which now has turned in to this, on Feb 24th 2009:

"Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs)" .

I'm holding out for a good Counterbary based system myself...

The oldest medical database systems are based on MUMPS, now called M by some, which is still used by the VA. They have
updated it to "VistA", which predated Microsoft Vista (wonder if Microsoft chose that name for a medical reason?).

VistA® / CPRS Demo Site:
http://www1.va.gov/CPRSdemo/
The code:
http://www1.va.gov/CPRSdemo/page.cfm?pg=1

http://www.innovations.va.gov/innovations/docs/InnovationsVistAFAQPublic.pdf
http://www.va.gov/VISTA_MONOGRAPH/index.asp
http://www.va.gov/vdl/ is the library.
http://www.va.gov/vdl/section.asp?secid=3 covers your Financial question.
http://www.va.gov/vdl/application.asp?appid=144
VistA Data Extraction Framework (VDEF).

http://openvista.sourceforge.net/
"OpenVista is the open-source version of VistA, which is an enterprise grade health care information system developed by the
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and deployed at nearly 1,500 facilities worldwide."

1,500 is not all that many considering the market.

Intersystem's Cache' http://www.intersystems.com/cache/ is the contemporary equivlent to MUMPS, a database that claims it can
run rings around things like MySQL in the number of transactions per second.

There are a number of Open Source Medical Databases,they are summarized here:

http://www.linux.com/base/ldp/howto/Medicine-HOWTO/record.html

My very first job was writing medical software, this is when few people even knew what computers were in 1977. Still have my DEC
MUMPS badge that I got at the very first MUMPS conference in DC. Have always felt I should get back into that field. To bad
Dr. Armor and I didn't patent what we were doing then. The pharmacists called up the office in disbelieve asking if these
computer printed prescriptions were real, because *THEY COULD READ THEM*.

The other side:

"VA DATA AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS:
1. FY07 Year-End Med SAS and DSS CNDE Files Available
The fiscal year 2007 (FY07) year-end Medical SAS (Med SAS)
Inpatient and Outpatient files are now available."
http://www.virec.research.va.gov/References/DataIssuesBrief/2007/DIB-0712er.pdf

Requesting Access to VA Data:
http://www.virec.research.va.gov/Support/Training-NewUsersToolkit/ACRSrequest.htm

"Click this button for information, guidance, and FAQs relating to the VA Research Data Security and Privacy initiative."
http://www.research.va.gov/resources/data-security